Our Favourite Restaurants
in New Zealand
Food, Glorious, Food!
Alex and myself love food!
New Zealand is blessed with rich fertile soils, deep oceans and high plains.
From the ocean, from the rivers, from the fertile plains and high country pastures, the wine varieties, the seafood, game, fruits, vegetables, meat and fish fresh-caught and fresh-grown in this beautiful land are simply unsurpassed.
It is hard to point out which is our favourite restaurant after savouring so many restaurants and cafes throughout the regions we visited.
We had dined with various restaurants – from family to cheap eats, from sidewalk cafes to award-winning 5-star restaurants.
Our general guide for our favourite restaurants must be:
Yummy food; Affordably priced (that it won’t burn a hole in our pockets); Nice atmosphere (a place that improves your appetite); and Friendly service.
So we have decided to name one from the North and one from the South.
At the North Island, our favourite restaurant goes to ‘The Fireplace’ at Whitianga.
If you are staying Hahei, a 10 minutes ferry ride will take you to the doorstep.
Driving your rental car in New Zealand from Hahei to Whitianga will take an hour. So? The decision is obvious.
Well, we didn’t find The Fireplace from any restaurant guide or whatsoever.
It was a stroll on Whitianga harbour that led us to this place ‘by chance’.
From the outside, The Fireplace is full of character.
A nice pond and a well-manicured landscape, a fireplace (perfect in the cold evenings) together with some outdoor bar stools led us in.
We were early (thank God!) and were ushered to a table by the window (near the cosy fireplace) by our friendly host, with a condition that we had to finish the meal in the next hour.
It was a Saturday and we were told that the restaurant was fully booked for the night.
At one glance, we could tell that The Fireplace has a creative menu.
I was attracted to items such as ‘Poached Chicken w green papaya & lychee salad w a larb dressing & toasted coconut’ and ‘Angus Beef Eye Fillet w a ham hock mash, baby onions & marinated chicken liver’.
My mouth was watering already...
And then it was the creative pizza menu that got Alex all excited: ‘"HAHEI" - pork, pineapple, spanish onion, coconut cream,coriander, jalapeno & plum sauce
"SAILORS GRAVE"pepperoni, mushrooms, sage, garlic,tabasco & chilli mayo
I had the Moreton Bay Bug and Veal Loin and Alex had the ‘Cooks Beach’ pizza.
Our verdict: Food is yummy, fresh, beautifully presented, cooked to perfection and tastes terrific.
We read in a food article recently that during the peak of summer people will queue up to 20 odd people deep and patiently wait for someone to leave.
Problem is on one is usually in a hurry because the food and atmosphere are both so good.
So do call for reservations if you want to dine unhurriedly.
The Fireplace is at 9, The Esplanade, Whitianga, Tel: 64-7-866 4828.
But if we have to write on one for the South Island, it would be The famous Boat Shed Café, also known as Nelson’s best seafood restaurant.
The Boat Shed serves the best of New Zealand seafood in a busy cafe style atmosphere - it is truly a Nelson Icon - a focal point for locals and a 'must do' for tourists.
The Boat Shed is situated over the water, in an unbeatable Location.
We were fortunate to be led to a table by the window (with no reservations!). Fortunate because the restaurant is often fully booked in the weekends!
It was a very nice meal. We whet our appetites with seafood chowder and scallops with chilli sauce. Yummy!
Finally, our main courses arrived!
Are you tempted already?
Alex’s main course was the rump of lamb and me, steak and scampi.
It was certainly one of the best dinners we had! The meats were seared just right and the seafood were fresh and delicious on its own, without the need of any dressings.
It didn’t surprised us why The Boatshed is Nelson’s favourite! Food is reasonably priced and the ambience is relaxed, cosy and lively!
With great food, great service and great value, you can enjoy views over Haulashore Island and across Nelson Harbour through 'The Cut' to the Tasman Ocean.
This is definitely the best experience we had in the South Island!
By the time we asked for the bill (around seven p.m.), the restaurant was almost full house!
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, all through 7 days a week, there is plenty of opportunities to savour the best in this region.
So if you plan to be in New Zealand’s sunniest playground, put this in your list of “must-dos!”
Here’s how to contact Boatshed Café Bar Restaurant:350 Wakefield Quay, Nelson, Phone : 03 546 9783
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